Shakespeare remains the official playwright of the season, of course, with Bard festivals breaking out everywhere from Santa Cruz to Ashland. Still, the Bay Area theater scene is such a vibrant and eclectic place that this summer's most highly anticipated shows run the aesthetic gamut from Jon Robin Baitz and Neil LaBute to Harold Pinter and Oscar Wilde.

For the record, the most buzzed-about production of all involves Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart starring in the pre-Broadway run of "No Man's Land" at Berkeley Rep. But if you can't score tickets to it, don't fret.

From left, Wade McCollum as Mitzi, Scott Willis as Bernadette and Bryan West as Felicia in the number "I Love the Nightlife" from "Priscilla Queen of the Desert," coming to San Francisco. (Joan Marcus/SHNSF)

Local stages are on fire this summer. Indeed, there is so much happening right now that even tempting fare such as the SF Playhouse revival of Mike Leigh's "Abigail's Party," the American premiere of Mark O'Rowe's "Terminus" at the Magic and the West Coast debut of Colman Domingo's "Wild With Happy" at TheatreWorks didn't quite make the cut. Check out these five hot picks for summer:

"This Is How It Goes": Neil LaBute, the bad boy of the comedy of manners milieu from "Fat Pig" to "Reasons to Be Pretty," takes on the politics of race in this biting anti-rom-com. Starring estimable actors Carrie Paff, Gabriel Marin and Aldo Billingslea, all of whom shined in the company's electric staging of "Collapse," this regional premiere runs June 14-July 21. Tom Ross directs at the Aurora Theatre Company, 2081 Addison St., Berkeley. Tickets: $32-$60; 510-843-4822, www.auroratheatre.org.

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"No Man's Land": X-Men alert! Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart star in this red-hot revival of Pinter's enigmatic classic. Although best known for their iconic sci-fi and fantasy roles in the wildly beloved "Lord of the Rings" and "Star Trek" franchises, these two British actors are also consummate theater creatures. After its out-of-town tryout at Berkeley, they will perform the Pinter piece in repertory with Samuel Beckett's seminal "Waiting for Godot" on Broadway. Directed by Sean Mathias, and also featuring Tony winners Billy Crudup and Shuler Hensley, it runs Aug. 3-30 at the Rep before heading to New York. Tickets: $35-$135 (subject to change); 510-647-2949, www.berkeleyrep.org.

"Lady Windemere's Fan": Oscar Wilde's luscious Victorian-era satire gets revived as part of the Cal Shakes festival. Ashland vet Christopher Liam Moore, who memorably played Jon Moscone in "Ghost Light," directs this glittering comedy of scandal, lust and hypocrisy. As once character quips: "We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars." The Wilde gem runs Aug 14—Sept. 8 as part of an outdoor season that also includes Richard Montoya's "American Night," "Romeo and Juliet" and "A Winter's Tale" at Bruns Amphitheater, 100 California Shakespeare Theater Way, Orinda. Tickets: $35-$72; 510-548-9666, www.calshakes.org.

"Priscilla Queen of the Desert": Guilty pleasure, anyone? Go on a road trip to the land of fabulous with three drag divas who won't let anybody keep them down as they trek through the Outback on a lavender bus. Based on the Oscar-winning 1994 film that starred Guy Pearce, Terence Stamp and Hugo Weaving, this campy Tony Award winner spins around dance club staples such as "It's Raining Men," "Finally" and "I Will Survive." Bedecked in sequins, glitter and sass, this regional premiere runs Aug 21-31 the Orpheum Theatre, 1192 Market St., San Francisco. Tickets: $45-$210; 888-746-1799, www.shnsf.com.

"Other Desert Cities": Home is where the heartache is in Jon Robin Baitz's ("Three Hotels," "Ten Unknowns" "Mizlansky/Zilinsky") Pulitzer finalist drama. It's a blisteringly funny family drama about a well-heeled California couple whose daughter shreds the brood in a tell-all memoir. Co-produced with San Diego's Old Globe, this regional premiere of the Broadway hit runs Aug. 21-Sept. 15 at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, 500 Castro St. Tickets: $19-$73; 650-463-1960, www.theatreworks.org.